Tube finishing and capping machine



Aug. 7, 1928.", 1,679,865

J. H. KoNxGsBERG TUBE FINISHINGr- AND CAPPING MACHINE WNIIIIIVI N70/mer Aug. 7. 192s. 1,679,865

J. H. KONIGSBERG TUBE FINISHING AND CAPPING MACHINE Filed May 26, 1923 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 7,

'1,679,865 J. H. KONIGSBERG TUBE FINISHING AND GAPPING MACHINE Filed May 26, 1925 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 /fv VEA/ron Joseph hf Konfgsbery 5r @JWM Y Ame/VH Aug. 7, 192s.

' 1,679,865 H.- K ONIGSBERG TUBE FINIsHING AND GAPPING MACHINE Filed may 2e, 192s 6 sheets-sheen 5 Aug. 7, 1928.

J. H. KONIGSBERG TUBE FINISHING AND CAPPING MACHINE Filed May 26, 1923 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Th muy.

Patented Aug. 7, 192s.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH H. KONIGSBERG, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO VICTOR METAL PRODUCTS CORPORATION, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Application led May 26,

This invention relates to machines for making collapsible metal tubes.

It has been customary, in machines of this character to mount an unfinished drawn tube 6 on a mandrel manually, then to operate a suitable lever manually for setting tools' 1nto motion for finishing the end of the tube to be capped, said tube being capped manually thereafter, and manually removed from 3U the mandrel.

.The primary object of my invention 1s to perform the above mentioned-operations of nishing and capping, automatically, by mechanism adjustable to various sizes. of 115 tubes, which mechanism while occupying little space, is capable of operation at high speed and with great efficiency.

. A further object of this invention is the provision of means for automatically posi- 20 tioning a drawn tube so that certain operations may be performed thereon.

Further objects of this invention include the provision of means for automatically finishing both ends of the tube while said tube is` in position; the provision of means for automatically capping said tube, and of means for ejecting the finished capped tube from the machine.

I attain the aforesaid and other objects,

. which will appear hereinafter by the mechanism shown in the preferred forms in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my improved machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the same. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the capping mechanism on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2, showing in dotted lines the positionsassumed by some of the parts during-the capping operation. Fig. 5 is a similar View of certain of the parts in the positions assumed thereby wliile'the cap is being delivered to the grip of the capping fingers. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the capping lingers and of the beariner therefor on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5. Fig. is a side elevation and partial section of the cap.- hopper andchute. Fig. 8 is a side elevation and partial 'section of the tube-receiving carriage and of the means for operating said carriage. Fig. 9'is a vertical section of the lead screwand nut 'for returning the carriage to its initial position. Fig. 10 is a top plan view of the tube-re- TUBE FINISHING AND CAPPING MACHINE.

1923. Serial No. 641,634.

ceiving carriage and of the operating mechanism for placing said tube in position on the mandrel. Fig. 1l is a similar View showing the parts in the positions assumed thereby immediately after said tube has been placed on said mandrel. Fig. 12 is a similar view of the means for rocking the carriage into alignment with the mandrel for positioning the tube on thev mandrel. Fig. 13l is a section on the line 13-13 of Fig. 2, showing part of the means for feeding one tube at a time from the tube slide, and Fig. 14 is a similar'section on the line 14-14 of F ig. 2. A p

This invention contemplates the performf ance entirely automatically of the operations of finishing and capping a drawn tube as hereinbefore pointed out, and the preferred means therefor' are shown and described herein.

In my improved automatic machine, the operator need only feed the drawn unfinished tubes to a tube reservoir, and feed `caps into the cap hopper. The machine arranges the caps into a substantially vertical single row, and then removes the lowermost cap of the row and delivers said cap to the capping position. Meanwhile, the lowermost tube in the tube reservoir is fed by gravity to a carriage which positions the tube on a mandrel. The usual finishing tools trim the mounted tube to the proper length and thread the end to be capped. The cap. is then put on the tube, which is dismounted 4from the mandrel by a blast of air. p

In the 'practical embodiment of my invention, I prefer to provide a tilted slide `10() for feeding the unnished drawn tubes by gravity. Suitable mechanism is provided for -receiving one tube at a time and for mounting said tube on the mandrel 30. The caps 26 meanwhile are aligned in a single row in the T-slot 25 of a rcap chute 21 and a single cap is` grasped by the capping ngers 46 and brought to the capping position, (Fig. 4). The capfeeding mechanism comprises the hopper 2O which terminates in the said cap chute21, and mechanism operatively connectled to said. hopper for agitating the caps therein and causing said caps to assume-the proper positioni in said chute. An agitator on said hopper 20, as by means of the shaft .23, and has a suitable belt groove 24 therein. vSaid receptacle may be rotated by a suitable belt driven from the main cam shaft- 150, and engaging said groove 24, whereby the caps '5 are caused to arrange themselves in the groove 25 and the caps 26 are thereby delivered to the lower end 27 of said chute 21 'one at a time. For allowing the cap to be "taken out of said chute in a substantially horizontal direction, an opening 47 slightly f larger than t-he diameter of said cap, is made in the lend 27 ofV said chute, but none of the caps are allowed to drop to the bottom of said groove and oppositesaid opening until 1`5 the capping mechanism is ready to grasp and remove the lowermost cap from the chute.

Means, Which willsoon be described cooperate With the lower end 27 of said chute for grasping and transferring one cap 26 at a time'to the fingers 46, which are in turn operated to grasp said cap firmly and to carry said cap to a position in valignment withk the finished end 28 of the tube 29 after said tube has been properly mounted on the H mandrel 30. The pair of fingers 46 are pivoted on a. suitable bearing 60 as at 61 and 62, said lingers being adapted to oscillate about said pivots and in the grooves 63 of said bearing 60. Said bearing 60 is fastened to l 30 the left end of the shaft 38 for revoluble movement about said shaft while relative longitudinal movement of said sha ft and said bearing is prevented by the pin 64 inserted therebetween. (Fig. 6. The links 65 serve to connect the right en s of the fingers 46 to the collar 66, which is slidably mounted o'n said shaft 38. .It will be noted that the shaft 38 is su ported in thebearing 35 for limited lon-gitu inal movement in said bearing as Will be more fully described hereinafter. For-sliding said collar 66 and therethrough oscillating the fingers 46 about their' pivots 61 and 62, I provide the lever 67, pivoted on the bearing 3,5 at 169. The end 69 o-f said lever engages the collar 66, While the end 68 of said lever 67 engages the collar 70, "which isl loosely mounted o n the rod or shaft 34 and which is maintained in its uppermost position by a compression spring 71, arranged between the lower face of said collar and the uppersurface of the bearing 35.

or insuring correct alignment and accurate vertical motion of the rod V34 of the bearing '.35 vconnected thereto, and of the shaft 38 vertical movement of said rod 34 is resisted,

" and the parts carried thereby, I provide a causes the lever 67 to rock about its pivot 169, whereby the fingers 46 may be opened or closed more tightly through the consequent movement of the collar 66 and the links 65 connecting said collar and said fingers, in a manner which will be described more fully hereinafter.

For delivering a cap 26 to the capping lingers 46 I provide a rod 75 slidably mounted for substantially horizontal movement in the bearino 76, secured to the end of the chute 21. The end 77 of said rod is'pre'terably reduced in diameter suiciently to enter one of the caps 26 when it is desired tol push the lower-most cap through the openinfT 47. Said rod is reciprocated longitudinally by means of the lever 200 actuated'at its rear end by the cam 201, and having its front end forked to engage the collar 78, which is secured to said rod 75. For urging the shoulder 79, of the rod 75, formedtby the reduced portion 77 of said rod, into engagement with the head of the cap 26, (Fig. 4), a compression spring 179, ahuttinof at one end against said collar and confined1 at its other end in the bracket 80, is provided. In the normal position of said rod 75 the larger or head portion of the cap 26 rests against the reduced end 77 `While the remainder of said ycap rests on the main body portion of saidA rod. A stop rod 39 is arranged in a longitudinal opening made centrally in the shaft 38, part of a second push rod' 40 being insei-ted at the left end of said shaft into said opening. Said push rod terminates in a button 44 preferably curved on the face thereof to correspond with the curvature of the outer face of a ca 26. A shoulder 41 on the rod 40, against w lich shoulder the compression spring 42 abuts, confines said spring in the enlarged opening 43 in said sha ft 38, said spring 42 serving to resist inward movement of the button 44, toward the right.

In order to adjust and control the movement of the shafts, 34 and 38, I provide split bushings 32 and 36 respectively therefor. The amount of the resistance by said bushings to the longitudinal movement of said shafts for the purpose which will soon appear, is varied by means of the adjusting screws 33 and 37 respectively.

The operation of my improved capping device is as follows: It being assumed that the rod 75 is in its initial position as shown in Fig. 4, and that the fingers 46 are opened apart in the position shown in Fig. '5, the lever 200 through the cam 201 is operated to draw the rod 75 toward the left against the action of the spring 179. Withdrawal of the reduced end 77 and the cap-supporting body-portion of the rod 75 from underneath the lowermost cap y26, is thereby effected, whereby said lowermost cap drops down into the position shown in Fig. 5 with the remaining caps of the row in the chute 21 inv/aast aligned in a single row thereabove. The ieturn movement of the eain lever 200 now causes the end 77 of the rod 'Z' 5 to enter said cap, the shoulderfl@ engagin the rim of the cap, and causes said end 'l to move said cap through the opening 47 of the chute end 27, into Contact with the curved surface of the button 44. Continued movement of the cam and of' the rod 7 5 toward the right moves the button 44 and the rod 40 on which said button is mounted toward the right, against the action of the spring 42, the pressure on the bushing 36 being so adjusted that movement of the rod 40 takes place before longitudinal movement of the shaft 38 in said bushing 36' can take place. Jlifter the spring 42 has been compressed a predeterminednamount so that the right end of the push rod 40 is stopped by the left end of the adjustable stop rod 39, further motion of the rod 7 5 toward the right overcomes the resistance Caused by the pressure of the split bushing 36 on the shaft 38. Said shaft 38 is therefore caused to move toward the right, carrying with it the finger bearing and the fingers 46, whereby the links are swung about their pivots on the collar 66 toward the vert-ical and the left ends of the fingers 46 are Closed about the cap. lt'will be understood at thistime that the collar 66 cannot move under the influence of the longitudinal movement of the shaft owing to the fact that the collar 70, on which the lever 67 Controlling said collar is mounted, is in its uppermost position in Contact with the lowerinost face of the bearing.

rlhe cam lever 200 is now operated by the cam 201 toward the left, withdrawing the rod 7 5 against the action of the spring 17 9, to the position shown in Fig. 4, in which the lowermost cap of the row rests on said rod 7 5 in readiness for the repetition of the operation. Meanwhile, the cam 300 on the main shaft 150, operates the lever 301 pivoted at 302, and forked at its upper end 303, to cause the collar to move downwardly. llt will be seen that any sueh movement of said collar Z0-downwardly rocks the lever 69 in a direction which causes the collar 6G to be pressed even more tightly than before against the links 65, whereby the fingers 46 are urged still more tightly against the cap 26 held therein. The spring 71 arranged between the collar 70 and the bearing 35 is so designed that when the lever 69 can no longer move the collar 66 toward the left, downward movement of the entire bearing 35, of the shaft 38 and of all the part-s mounted on said shaft takes place, in spite of the resistance of the split bushing 32 to i said downward movement.

The shaft 34 continues to move downwardly under the infiuence of the cam 300 bearing 3l, at which time further downward movement of the shaft 34 is prevented,

the shaft or rod 34 having reached its lowei'most position. rlhe shaft 38 is now positioned coaiiially with the mandrel 30 and the capping of the tube 29 may now taire place. However, the cam 300 continues to urge the collar 70 downwardly. This results in the compression of the spring 'i7' and in the rocking ofthe lever 69 so that the collar 66 is urged against the links 65 to close the fingers tightly and to move said fingers together with the bearing 41, the shaft 38, the rod 40 and the cap mounted in the fingers, toward the left, a sufficient distance to apply the cap 26 on to the finished threaded end 28 of the rotating tube 29, whereby the cap is firmly screwed on to the end of said tube.

lt will be noted that the fingers 46 together with the bearing 4l,v the links 65, and the collar 66 are all free to rotate about the shaft 38 if the pressure caused by the rotating tube 29 on the thread of the cap and tube end is too great for rapid threading, though it will be seen that the spring 71 and the cam 300 may be so proportioned that the cap 26 is fed on to the end 2 8 of the tube at a speed which is synchronized with the speed of rotation of said tube. llt also will be seen that after the tube has been capped, and before the fingers 46 are opened to release the cap 26, rotation of the capped tubev merely causes said fingers, together with the bearing 41, the links 65 and the collar 66 to rotate as a unit without injury to any of the mechanism.

When the collar 70 starts on its upward return journey, the slightest movement of said collar first rocks the lever 69 about its pivot 169 causing the collar 66 to move towards the right, longitudinal motion of the shaft 38 being'pievented by the tight bushing 36, and longitudinal motion of the shaft 34 being prevented by the tight bushing Only a slight movement of said collar 66 is required to draw the left end of the links 65 together, 'thereby rocking the fingers 46 about their pivots 61 and 62 and opening the 'left ends of said fingers to release the cap. The pressure of the spring 42 is thereby suddenly transferred from the fingers and is concentrated through the push rod 40 upon the head of the cap, so that said cap is given the final pressure toseeure it firmly in position, the sudden additional pressure due to said spring 42 corresponding in effect to the filial tap usually given to the cap by the operator with the palm of her hand on 'the completion of the manual capping operation. Continued movement of the collar 70 upwardly serves to draw the collar 66 toward the right relatively to the shaft 38 until said collar abuts against the shoulder 85, the compression spring 71 being allowed to extend itself. It is to be noted here that when the shaft 34 is in its lowermost position, the split bushing 36 causes sufficient pressure on the shaft 38 to prevent movement of said shaft during the movement v,of said collar 66 to the right and after collar has reached its extreme position to the right, and that thereafter upward movement of the collar 70 raises the shaft 38, the bearing 35 and the shaft 34- connected to said bearing up to the position indicated in Fig. 4, the fingers 46 however, at this time being opened. instead of in the closed position shown. .f This completes the cycle of the capping operation and all the parts are now4 again in their initial positions.

` 29 placed therein will tend l tube vlever 255.

' The means for feeding and mounting the. drawn tube on the mandrel 30 will now be described. A tube slide is tilted downwardly and toward one side so that any tube to roll toward the bottom and to slide toward a stop 101, the rolling and sliding continuing until the neck 102y of the tube is in contact with said stop. Additional tubes 29 placed above the lowermost tube will tend to straighten out the entire row, and will tend also to force the lowermost tube out of the slide, if said lowermost tube is not held in place.

Means are provided for allowing only one at a time to drop into the carriage 103.

S'aid means comprises a pair of gates or shutters 250 and251, the former positioned rearwardly of the lowermost tube of the row, and the latter arranged forwardly of said tube, said gates being operated to move in opposite directions. The cam lever 252 pivoted at 253 and operated by the cam 260, is passed over the lever 254 and under the Said lever 254 is-pivoted at'256 at the end of the arm 257 which is suitably secured to the slide base 100, the extremity ofsaid lever being fastened to the gate or shutter,250. The lever 255 is similarly pivoted at 258 on the arm 259 and carries the gate '251. The tension spring 261 tends to maintain the gate 250- in its lowermost p0- sition, while the tension spring 262 performs a similar function for the gate 251. Each of said gates 250 and 251 is suitably supported in a guide 263, each suitably secured to longitudinaljmember slide. y.

For feeding a tube to the carriage 103 the front end of the cam lever 252 is raised, thereby raisingthe gate lever 255 about its pivot and lifting the gate 251 to allow the lowermost tube to drop into said carriage, the gate 250 not being moved. AOn the downward movement of the cam lever end, the lever 255 is released and is drawn down by thespring 262 to its lowermost position, while the` gate lever 254 is removed to lift the gate `250 and to allow the next tube to roll Vdown into Contact with the gate 251 in 264 of the readiness t0 drop into the carriage 103 i.. its turn. On the upward movement of the lever 252, the spring 261 draws the gate 250 down to bar out the remaining tubes of the row.

Said carriage 103 is preferably V-shaped in cross section for accurately positioning the tube which drops thereinto. A bracket 104 secured at its lower end to the shaft 105 has two upstanding arms 106 and 107 terminating in bearings 108 and 109 respectively. The carriage 103 is pivotally mounted on said bearings, as by mea-ns of the shaft 110, passing through said bearings 108 and 109 and through the bearing 111, at the end the arm 112 extending from said carriage. Secured to said bearing 111 and ysaid arm is the downwardly extending plate 113, by means of which the entire carriage may bc rotated about the shaft 110. A second arm 114 extends substantially horizontally from the bearing 111 and is normally pulled downwardly by means of the tension spring 115 (Fig.i8.). The lowermost end of the spring 115 is attached to the shaft 105 and servesy to urge the carriage 103 toward its uppermost position relatively to the bracket 104, by rotating said carriage about its pivot 110. i aid shaft is suitably mounted for longitudinal movement in the bearing brackets 116 and 117, suitably secured to the main frame of the machine. For urging said shaft 105 and the bracket 104 mounted thereon toward the left, (Fig. 1) when the tube is to be mounted on the mandrel I prefer to use a fiexible connection such as` the rope 118, and weights as 119. The fiexible con nection or wire rope 118 may be passed around a suitable pulley as 120, which is supported by means of t 1e bracket 121 suitably secured to the main frame of the machine. For causing longitudinal motion of the shaft 105 toward the right I prefer to use a lead screw 122 suitably supported in the bearings 123 and 124 of the brackets 116 and 117 respectively, though it is obvious that equivalent means such as a cam, may be used for this purpose. Said lead screw 122 is rotated throughthe sprocket wheel 125 on the shaft 126, the chain 127 and the sprocket wheel 128 on the lead screw shaft. Power is Supplied to the drive shaft 126 through the pulley 129, operatively connected to a suitable source of power not shown. The main cam shaft 150 is operativelyconnected to said drive shaft 126 by means of the cooperating gear wheels 130 and 131, a one revolution clutch 132 adapted to be set into motion for'making only one complete turn of the cam shaft at a time,

lUll

being interposed between the gear wheel invasori 150. lt will be noted that the shaft 150 on which the various cams for causing operation on the drawn tube, are mounted, should not be allowed to rotate while the drawn tube in the carriage 103 is being mounted on the mandrel 30 though said shaft 150 may rotate while the empty carriage is being returned to its initial position. half nut 133 secured to the shaft 105 by means of a nut 233 and adapted to rock with said shaft into and out of engagement with the lead screw 122 for returning the bracket 104 and the carriage mounted thereon to its initial position at the rightV of the machine. For operating the clutch 132, the right end of the bellcrank-lever 136 is secured to the link 138 which is pulled by the tension spring 139 into engagement with a suitable beveled member 140 of the type usually employed in a one revolution. clutch of the type shown. The co-operating members of ,said clutch 132 are urged into mutual engagement by means ofthe compression spring 141 on the shaft 150, the spring 139 aiding in holding the lever 138 against the member 140 for the purpose of causing the clutch members to-engage each other. However, at the extreme end of the movement at the shaft 105 towards the left under the influence of the weights 119, the roller 134, carried Lby the pin 135 secured to said shaft, strikes the end 142 of the bell-crank-lever 1.36, rotating said lever about its pivot 137 and withdrawing the link 138 out of engagement with the beveled member 140 against the action of the spring 139. The compression spring 141 is then free to cause the engagement of the clutch members and the consequent revolution of the shaft 150. It will be understood that the pin 135 and the roller 134 carried thereby are so arranged on the shaft 105 that the clutch lever 138 is thrown only at the extreme end of the movement of the shaft 105 to the left, at which time the mounting of the tube on the mandrel has been completed, and thefoperation thereon by the trimming tool 144 and the threading tool 143 may be permitted in the usual manner through the cams 14.5 and 146 on the shaft 150.

Un the movement of the shaft 105 toward the right under the action of the lead screwV 122 the bell-crank-lever 136 is released, allowing the spring 139 to pull the link 138 into engagement with the clutch member 140, thereby disengaging the clutch parts and halting revolution of the shaft 150, after one complete revolution thereof has been made. i

The various move-ments of the bracket 104 and of the carriage 103 during the operation of mounting a tube on the mandrel will now be taken np. In the initial position of the carriage 103 as shown at 147, Fig. 8, a tube is allowed to drop into said carriage from l provide a the slide 100 by the means hereinbefore described. In this position of the bracket 104, the roller 148, carried by the pin 149, which is secured on the underside of the shaft 105, is held between the spring pressed slides 151 and 152 respectively (Figs. 1, 10, 11,- and 12). The slide 151 is carried by the rod 153 mounted in the bracket 154 and is urged into its outermost position by the compression spring 155. The slide 152 is similarly mounted on the rod 156 carried by the bracket 157 and is urged toward its extreme left position by the spring 158 controlled by the cam lever 159 operated by the cam 161 through the collar 160.

After the tube has dropped into the carriage 103y the cam 161 causes the collar 160, the rod 156, and the slide 152 to move toward the right whereby the roller 148 is released and is caused to rock together with the Shaft 105 and the bracket 104 about the center of said shaft 105 under the influence of the spring 155 until the position indicated by the full lines in Fig. 8 is reached, wherein the axis of the tube 29 is in accurate alignment with the axis of the mandrel 30.

To insure accuracy of alignment of the tube and mandrel a plate 162 having the substantially rectangular cam groove 163 therein is secured to the frame of the machine in such a position that the roller 164 carried by the pin 165 whichzis secured to the shaft 105, is in the position shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 9, when the bracket and carriage are in their initial positions, so that said roller 164 is at the upper right hand corner of the groove 163. When the roller 148 is released by the slide 152 and the shaft 105 consequently rocked under the action of the spring 155, said roller 164 moves along the vertical part of the cam groove 163 into a position at the lowermost right corner of said cam groove into the position shown by the full lines in Fig. 9, the location of said roller in the vertical part of the cam groove determinating the angular positions of the shaft 105 and of the carriage 103. ySaid roller` 164 being now at the extreme right of the lower horizontal groove of the cam groove 163, the weights 119 are free to pull the` shaft 105 bodily toward the left, carrying with it the carriage 103 and the tube 29 and causing said tube to position itself about the continuously rotating mandrel 30 until further movement of the carriagepis prevented wlien the roller 164 reaches the end of the horizontal groove.

The end 230 of the mandrel 30 is adapted to enter the capped end of the tube, and is made preferably hexagonal or otherwise polygonal in cross-section, so that as the carriage is drawn at accelerated speed to the left by the weights 119, the adjustable screw 203 on the carriage rams the tip of the tube on said end 230, and the edges of said end cut l as into the inside of said tip sufficiently to hold the tube firmly on the rotating mandrel during the ensuing operations thereon. In this position the mounting of said tube has been completed and the clutch 132 becomes operative as hereinbefore described,

to move the tool slides forwardly ready to commence .operation upon the tube.

` spring pressed roller 166 on the rod 167 is 10 carried in advance of, and by one of the tool slides so that as said slide comes forwardly .under the action of its loperative cam, said roller'engages the plate 113 of the carriage and rocks said carriage about its pivot 110 to remove said carriage against the action of the spring 115, from its position near the mandrel into the position shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 8 at 168. Near the endv of the movement of the carriage .'103 toward the left, the roller 148 strikes the hook 170 which is pivoted to the machineat 171, and rotates said hook about its pivot, thereby eX- tending the spring 172. Said spring connected to said hook at one end and to an arm 173 at its other end, the parts assuming the positions shown in Fig. 11, in which positions the mounting of theftube` on the mandrel has just been completed.

When the rod 167 now comes forward to strike the plate 113 the bracket v104 is maintained in the position shown by the full lines in Fig. 8, by means of the hook 170 and the s ring 172, whereon rotation of the carriage about the shaft 110 takes place. It -will be understood that it is desirable to move the fca'rri'ag: 103 away from` themandrel'30be- Afore -t e bracket 104 is rotated. By the rmeans aboves described the bracket 104, through the roller 148, is held stationary dur- 40 in a art of the forward movement of the roI 16 ,until the plate 113 assumes the osition shown by the dotted lines 168 in Fig. 8, in which the plate113 is in contact with the a bracket 104. As the tool slide is operated by its cam to bring the tool forwardly for operation on the tube 29, the plate 113 is first rotated and then after its limiting position has been5 reached, the bracket.104 is then rotated about the center of the shaft 105, `whereby said shaft 105 is rockedtogether with the pin 165, and the roller 164 is carried ih the vertical part of the cam groove 163 to the up er left hand corner of saidgroove. Theha f nut 138 is thereby caused to engage 66 the lead screw 122, and the bracket 104 andK carriage 103 arecaused to assume the ositlons'indicated in dotted lines at 174-F1 8,

, the bell-crank-lever 136 having meanw ile been rocked by the roller 134 andthe clutch 60 132 vset into motion., On the last part of the f rward movementfof the rod 167 the conseqient rotation of the bracket l104carries the roller 148 at the lower end thereof Iinto the positionshown by the dotted liiies at 177 Fig. 11. he various tools are then' operated by f finishing tool has cut the tube the usual cams on the cam shaft 150 to finish the tube 29 in the usual manner, while the carriage 103 is being ,carried toward the right back toward its initial position, the roller '164 traveling in the upper horizontal portion of the cam groove 163. After the to the proper length, a cylindrical waste piece 175 remains on the mandrel 30.`

A pair of cutting fingers 189 on the carriage "103 serves to cut apart and remove from the mandrel the trimmed end 175. Since said fingers travel in advance of the carriage, it will be seen that even though the waste piece 175 is not completely eut and removed fiom the mandrel by said cutting fingers, said piece is at least pushed along the mandrel a sufficient distance to allow the tube to be properly mounted thereon.

Near the end of the movement of the cai'- riage 103, bracket 104,and roller 164, to the right under the action vof the lead screw 122, said roller 148 engages the inclined edge 178 of the slide 151 causing said slide to move rearwardly against the action of the spring 155, said slide and roller assuming the positions shown by the dotted lines at 180 Fig. 11. At the completionof the inward movement of said slide 151 the cam 161 operates through the lever 159r to move the collar 160 and the rod 156 and slide 152 carried thereby, toward the left into the position shown in Fig. 11. The half nut 133 now having reached the end of the lead screw 122 further movement of the shaft 105 and of the parts carried thereby toward the right cannot take place. The spring 155 acting through the slide 151 now functions to move the roller 148 forwardly into contact with the slide 152.' Said forward movement though slight, is sufiicient to entirely disengage the half nut 133 from the lead screw 122, the various parts now being again positioned in their initial positions, so that the cycle of operations may be repeated. It will be understood that during the movement of the shaft 105 toward the right the various cams on the cam shaft have caused the, respective tools operated thereby to finish the tube andhave withdrawn said tools into their initial positions ready for the throwing of the clutch 132 to begin another revolution.

The mandrel 30 is picferably continuously rotated and is provided with an opening 182 made longitudinally therethrough and connected, as" by means of the pipe 183, to the pump 184 carried bythe bracket 185 which is securedv to the frame of the machine. Said pump may be operated by means of a suitable cam on the shaft 150 through the rod 185. he pump is operated so tliaton the com letion of the finishino` operations and vafter the removal of thetoo s and tool slides, air pressure is suddenly applied through the opening 182 of 4the mandrel and blows the lll() lll ill

natascia tinished tube 29 from the mandrel 3U and into a suitable receptacle Vprovided theren for.

llt will be seen thatvmy machine is readily adjustable to different sizes of tubes and caps. 'llie adjustment may be easily accomplished by the substitution of a mandrel, cap hopper, rap' fingers and tube slide of the size corresponding to the tube to be finished and capped, though the remaining parts of the machine need not be disturbed.

l do not wish to limit myself to the specie mechanism shown herein, as it is obvious that various changes such as the subsitution of a cam for the lead screw acting to draw the carriage toward the right, the adapta tion of my tube mounting means to a multiple spindle mandrel and the consequent eliinination of much of the mechanism shown, and other changes which need not be mentioned here, may be made without departing from the scope of this invention.

ll claim:

l. ln a tube finishing .and capping machine, a cap hopper, means for delivering a single cap at a time from said hopper to the capping position, a reservoir for thin Col- 'lapsible tubes, means for delivering a single tube at a time from said reservoir into finishing position, comprising means for supporting said tube in finishing position, an oscillatory and reciprocatory tube carriage, means fordelivering a single tube at a time to said carriage, and means for operating said carriage for causing said carriage to mount a tube on said supporting means, means for finishing said tube, and means for causing said cap delivering means to cap said tube.

2. ln a tube finishing and capping machine, means for delivering a soft, thin, collapsible tube into iinishing position, comprising a tube reservoir, means in spaced relation longitudinally and transversely) of said reservoir for supporting said tube in finishing position, an oscillatory `and recip- (lili rocatory tube carriage, means for delivering a single tube at a time from said reservoir to said carriage, means for oscillating said carriage from the tube receiving position thereof into alignment with said supporting means, and means for moving said carriage longitudinally until said carriage is under' said supporting means for causing said carriage to mount a tube on said supporting means..

3. ln a tube finishing and capping machine, a mandrel, means for mounting a soft, thin, collapsible tube on said mandrel, comprising an oscillatory and reciprocatory tube carriage, means for delivering a single tube at a time to said carriage, and means for operating said carriage.

4:. ln amachine of the character described, a cap hopper, cap gripping means, reciprocatory means for ejecting a single cap at a time from said hopper, and within reach el said gripping means and for operating said gripping means to close on said cap, and means for moving said gripping means bodily in a direction substantially at right angies to that of the movement et said cap ejecting means, for delivering said cap into capping position.

5. ln a machine of the character described, a reservoir, for thin, collapsible tubes, a mandrel spaced from said reservoir, a tube carriage, means for oscillating said carriage for carrying a tube from said reservoir to a position in alignment with said mandrel and means -for reciprocating said carriage for mounting said tube on said mandrel.

l6. In a tube finishing and capping machine, a cap hopper, means for arranging the caps in said hopper in a single vertical row, means adapted to grip a cap by the axial movement ot said means for withdrawing the lowermost cap of said row, and means for moving said withdrawing means bodily in a direction substantially perpendicular to said axial movement for delivering said cap ninto capping position.

7. ln a tube finishing and capping mai chine, a mandrel, a tube carriage for mounting a. tube on said mandrel, means for capping said tube, and means for dismounting said capped tube from said mandrel.

8. In a tube finishing and capping machine, means for delivering a thin, collapsible tiibe into capping position, comprising a tube carriage substantially V-shaped in cross section, means for delivering a tube to said carriage, means for aligning said carriage, and means for moving said carriage for bringing said tube in capping position, and means for delivering a cap into capping position and for capping said tube.

9. In a tube capping machine, a cap hopper, a cap chute, means for arranging said caps in a single row in said chute, capping lingers, means for removing the lowermost cap of the row and for feeding said cap 4to said lingers, and means actuated by said cap removing means for closing said fingers `about said cap, for delivering said cap into capping position, and for withdrawing said lingers from said'cap.

f 10. In a soft metal collapsible tube finishing machine, means for supporting a tube, a tube carriage, means for oscillating said carriage for carrying a tube to a point in alignment with said supporting means, means for' reciprocating said carriage for mounting said tube on said supporting means, and means'for capping said tube.

11. In a machine for finishing soft metal collapsiblel tubes, means for supporting a tube, means for mounting said tube on said supporting means, and means for driving air through said supporting means for dis -tube has been capped,

mounting said tube from said supporting means.

12. In a machine for finishing soft metal collapsible tubes, means for supporting a tube for operation ing said tube on said supporting means, means for capping said tube and means for dismounting said tube from said supporting means.

13. In a tube finishing and capping machine, a cap hopper, means for arranging the caps in said hopper in a single vertical row, a tube reservoir, means for feeding a single tube at a time from said reservoir, tube supportingmeans, means for mounting a tube on said supporting means, and means adapted to Withdraw a cap from said row for capping said tube.

14. In a tube finishing and capping machine, means, free to rotate, for feeding a single cap at a time into capping position, tube supporting means, means for mounting a tube on said supporting means, means for finishing said tube, means for urging said ca-p-feeding-means toward said supporting means for capping said tube, and for Withdrawing said cap-feeding-means after said and means for dismounting said tube from said supporting means.

15. In a tube finishing machine, a mandrel, a tube carriage, vmeans for oscillating said-carriage into alignment with said mandrel, means for reciprocating said carriage toward said mandrel, means for Withdrawing said carriage from said mandrel, and means for finishing a tubej .16. In a tube finishing and capping machine, a revoluble mandrel, a carriage for mounting a tube on sai-d mandrel, means for capping said tube, meansv for finishing said tube, and means for dismounting said capped tube from said mandrel.

17. In a tube finishing and capping machine, meansfor supporting a tube,'means for mounting a tube onvsaid supporting means, means for finishing said tube, means for capping said tube, and means for distube from said supmounting said capped porting means.

18. In a tube capping and finishing machine, a cap hopper, means for delivering a single cap at a time from said hopper into capping position, a tube reservoir, a carriage, means for feeding a single tube at a time to said carriage, means for supporting a tube, means for operating said carriage for mounting a tube on said supporting means, and means for operating said cap delivering means for causing said delivering means to cap said tube. A

19. In a tube capping and finishing machine, a cap hopper, means for delivering a single cap at a time from said hopper into capping position,

thereon, means for mountchine,

a tube reservoir, a car'` riage, means for feeding a single tube at a time to said carriage, means for supporting a tube, means for operating said carriage for mounting a tube on said supporting means, means for finishing said tube, means for 0perating said cap delivering means for causing said delivering means to cap said tube, and means fordismounting the capped tube from said supporting means.

20. In a tube finishing machine, a mandrel, a tip on said mandrel hexagonal in cross section, and means for mounting a tube on said mandrel, whereby said hexagonal tip engages the inside of the tip of said tube.

21. In a tube capping and finishing machine, a cap hopper, means for withdrawing a cap from said hopper, means free to rotate, adapted alternately to grip and to release said cap, a revoluble mandrel, means for mounting a tube on said mandrel, and means for causing said cap gripping means to feed a cap axially to said tube.

22. In a tube capping and finishing machine, a cap hopper, means for Withdrawing a cap from said hopper, means free to rotate, for alternately gripping and releasing said cap, a revoluble mandrel, means for mounting a tube on finishing said tube, means for causing said cap gripping means to feed a cap to said tube and means for dismounting said capped tube. l

23. In a-tube finishing and capping marevoluble means for supporting a tube, a. tube reservoir, means for mounting a tube on said supporting means, means for delivering a single tube at a time to said tube mounting means from said reservoir, and means for capping said tube comprising means for axially feeding a cap to said tube.

24.- In a tube finishing and capping machine, revoluble means for supporting a tube, a tube reservoir, means for mounting a tube on said supporting means, means for delivering a single tube at a time to said tube mounting means from said tube reservoir, means for finishing said tube, means for capping said tube comprising means for axially feeding a cap to said tube, and means for dismounting saidl capped tube.

25. In a tube capping and finishing machine, means for feeding a single tube at a time comprising a tube slide tilted longitudinally and transversely, a pair of gates positioned respectively rearwardly and forwardly of the lovvermost tube in said sllde and means for alternately moving the rearward and forward gates alternately in opposite directions, means for supporting a tube and means for mounting a tube on said supporting means. y N

26. In a tube capping and finishing machine, means for feeding a single tube at a time comprising a tube slide tilted longisaid mandrel, means for lilo llt

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tudinally and transversely, a pair of gates positioned respectively rearwardly and forwardly of the lowermost tube in said slide, and means for alternately moving the rear- 4Ward and forward gates alternately in opposite directions, means for supporting a tube, means for finishing saidtube, means for capping said tube, and means for dismounting said capped tube.

27. In a tube capping and finishing machine, a cap hopper, means for delivering a single cap at a time from said hopper into capping position, a tube reservoir, a carriage, means for feeding a single tube at a time to said carriage comprising a tube slide tilted longitudinally and transversely, a pair of gates positioned respectively rearwardly and forwardly of the lowermost tube insaid slide, and means for alternately moving the rearward and forward gates alternately in opposite directions, means for supporting a tube, means for operating said carriage for mounting a tube on said supporting means, means for finishing` said tube, means for operating said cap delivering means for causing said delivering means to cap said tube, and means for dismounting the capped tube from said supporting means.

Q8. In a tube capping machine, a cap hopper, a chute. means for arranging the caps in said chute in a single vertical row. and means for withdrawing the lowermost cap of the row and for delivering said cap into capping position comprising a bearing, a pair of fingers pivofed to said bearing, a longitudinally slidable shaft on which said bearing is revolubly mounted. a collar slidably mounted on said shaft and operatively connected to said fingers for opening an closing said hngers. a push rod arranged coaniallv with and carried by said shaft for longitudinal movement in said shaft. a second push rod adapted to engage the lowermost cap of the'row for pushing said cap out of said chute and into engagement with said first push rod. and means for operating said collar and for moving said shaft and the parts carried thereby, bodily as a unit.

Q9. In a tube capping and finishing machine, means fordelivering a cap into capping position comprising a longitudinallv slidable shaft. a bearing revoluble on said shaft, a pair of ngers pivoted to said bearing, a spring pressed push rod arranged coaaially with. slidable in, and mounted for operative connection to said shaft, means for pushing a cap against said rod for sliding said shaft, and means operatively connected to said fingers for closing said fingers on the sliding of said shaft in one direction and for opening said ngers on the sliding of said shaft in the opposite direction.

30. In a tube capping machine, a grooved chute having an aperture at the lower end Werm0st cap through said aperture,

thereof, for arranging tube caps in a single row, and means for withdrawing the lowermost cap of the row fromsaid chute through the aperture thereof, comprising a rod for pushing said lowermost cap through said aperture, a springpressed rod against which said cap is pushed and a pair of freely revoluble fingers arranged coaxially withand operated by said spring pressed rod to grip said cap.

31.v In a tube finishing and capping machine, a cap hopper, a chute, means for delivering said caps in a single row to said chute, freely i' rotatable capping fingers, means for delivering" the lowermost cap in said row to said fingers, means for closing said fingers about said cap on the delivery of said cap within reach of said fingers, tube supporting means, tube nishing means, and means for delivering said cap into alignment with said tube, for closing said fingers more tightly about said cap, for moving said cap on to the finished end of said tube, and for witthdrawing said fingers from the capped tu e.

32. In a tube capping machine, a cap hopper, a cap chute, means for delivering caps in a single row to said chute, capping fingers, means for feeding the lowermost eap'of said row to said fingers, means for closing said fingers about said cap, for delivering said cap into `capping position, and for withdrawing said fingers from said cap, a mandrel', a tube carriage, means operatively connected to said carriage for moving said carriage toward said mandrel for mounting a tube on said mandrel, means for withdrawing said carriage from said mandrel, and

d means for finishing a tube, operated by said carriage at the completion of the mountingoperatlon.

33. In a tube capping and nishing machine, a cap hopper, means for delivering a cap into capping position, a tube reservoir, means for delivering a single tube at a time from said reservoir into capping position comprising atube slide tilted longitudinally and transversely, a pair of gates positioned each respectively rearwardly and forwardly of the lowermost tube in said slide and means vforlowering one of said gates and for substantially simultaneously raising the other of said gates, a hollow mandrel, means for mounting said tube on said mandrel, means for finishing said tube, and means for blowing air through said mandrel for dismounting said tube.

34. In a tube capping and finishing machine, a cap hopper, a grooved chute, having an aperture at the lower end lthereof, for arranging the caps in a single row therein, means for withdrawing the lowermostcap of the row l,through the aperture of said chute comprisingv a rod for pushing said lul (ill

spring pressed rod against which said rod is pushed, and a pair of fingers adapted to grip and to release said cap alternately, a carriage, means for feeding a single tube at a time to said carriage, means for supporting a tube, means for drawing said carriage toward said' supporting means for mounting a tube on said supporting means, means for finishing said tube, means for causing said fingers to cap said tube and means for dismounting the capped tube.

35. In a tube finishing and capping machine, a revoluble mandrel, and means for mounting a collapsible tube on said mandrel comprising a carriage Vshaped in cross section, means on said carriage for engaging the end of said tube, means for drawing said carriage toward said mandrel at accelerated speed, and means for drawing said carriage away from said mandrel after said tube has been mounted.

36. In a tube finishing and capping machine, a hollow revoluble mandrel, a polygonal tip on said mandrel, a V-shaped earriage adapted to receive a tube, means for drawing said carriage toward said mandrel at accelerated speed for mounting the entire tube firmly in said mandrel, means for withdrawing said carriage, means for finishing said tube, actuated by said carriage at the end of the mounting operation, means for capping said tube during the rotation of said mandrel, and means for blowing air though said mandrel for dismounting said tu e.

37. In a tube finishing and capping machine, a hollow revoluble mandrel, means for mounting a tube on said mandrel, means operatively connected to said tube mountin means for finishing said tube at the end of the mounting operation, means for capping f said tube and a pump for blowing air through said mandrel for dismountingsaid tube Ifrom said mandrel after capping.

38. In a tube finishing and capping machine, a revoluble mandrel having a longitudinal opening therethrough, a polygonal mandrel, a carriage V-shaped end on said in cross section, adapted to receive a tube, means for feeding a single tube at a time to said carriage, weights for drawing said carriage toward said mandrel at accelerated speed until the polygonal tip of said mandrel is forced into the tip of said tube, a clutch operated by said carriage at the end of its tube mounting stroke, means for finishing said tube controlled by said clutch, means for capping said tube, and means for blowing air through the opening in said mandrel fordismounting said tube.

39. In a tube finishing and 'capping machine, a cap hopper, means for delivering a cap from said hopper into capping position, comprising a pair of swingable fingers, a substantially horizontal shaft carrying said stopped, whereby said tube fingers, a collar slidable on said shaft opei'atively connected to said fingers, means for exerting a predetermined degree of pressure on said shaft for resisting longitudinal movement of said shaft, a substantially Vertical shaft carrying said horizontal shaft, means operatively connecting .said vertical shaft and said collar for causing said collar to open and close said fingers on the longitudinal movement of said vertical shaft and means for resisting movement of said vertical shaft until predetermined longitudinal movement of said horizontal shaft takes place.

40. In a tube finishing and capping machine, a substantially horizontal shaft, a substantially vertical shaft and means earried by said horizontal shaft and actuated by the longitudinal movement of said vertical shaft for gripping and for releasing a cap and for delivering said cap to the capping position.

41. In a tube finishing and capping ma.- chine, a cap hopper, a chute, a push rod positioned normally, to support the row of caps in said chute, a pair of revoluble fingers, means for operating said rod for forwarding the lowermost ca of' the row from said chute toward said iigers, and means operated on the movement of said lowerniost cap by said rod for causing said fingers to close about said cap.

42. In a tube finishing and capping machine, a pair of fingers, means for delivering a single cap at a time within reach of said fingers, a vertical shaft, operatively connected. to said fingers, and means for reciprocating said vertical shaft foi causing g said fingers to grip said cap, to move to the capping position, to advance the cap axially or capping the tube, to open said fingers and withdraw from the capped tube, and to return to the vertical position successively in the order named.

43. In a tube finishing and capping'machine, a revoluble mandrel, a polygonal end on said mandrel, and means for mounting a tube on said mandrel comprising a carriage, and means for drawing said carriage toward said tube at accelerated velocity until is mounted on said mandrel andthe end of said tube is pushed firmly on said polygonal end of said mandrel for rotation therewith.

44. In a tube capping and finishing machine, means for supporting a tube, means for mounting a tube on said supporting means, means for finishing said tube, a clutch controlling said finishing means, and means operated by said mounting means for throwing said clutch, after said tube has been mounted on said supporting means.

45. Means for capping a tube comprising means for rotating said tube and means, free to rotate with said tube, for feeding a cap axially to said tube, and for exerting suol- 47. In `a tube finishing and capping ma- 10 denly applied pressure on said cap near the chine, revoluble means for supporting a completion of thecapping operation. tube, a tube reservoir, means for delivering 46. In a tube finishing and capping maa single tube at a time from the reservoir to chine, revoluble means for supporting a the tube supporting means, and means for tube, .a tube reservoimmeans for mounting capping said tube comprising means for 15 a tubeon said supporting means, and means creating relative axial movement between 1to1- cappin said tube comprisn means for the cap and tube.

axially fee ing a cap to said tu e. JOSEPH H. KONIGSBERG. 

